The Moon as my Witness
by Lady Draculea
Summary: VtM:B Diana's stepmother's new job at LaCroix Foundation was the beginning of a whole new set of changes for her. Things she had only dreamed about turning out to be real, real and frightening.
1. Chapter 1

Before starting, I suppose I should mention that the only Vampire Masquerade game that I have played is Bloodlines, and I haven't even completed that as of yet. This fanfiction is based on the game of Bloodlines, and it situated in Los Angeles. As much as I love the plot to Bloodlines, I am tweaking it a little to fit my story. Familiar characters from Bloodlines may make an appearance, as I have a general idea of where I want this to go.

While Bloodlines is the only game that I am completely familiar with, I won't just to using that for reference. I will be doing my homework and looking at other sites for information about the VtM world. I have actually already begun to do so, since I am greatly interested about the snippets of information that is given throughout the game. The world of VtM is immense and very detailed and I want to do my best to stick to how it is foretold.

_General Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I pretend to, any rights to the game Vampire the Masquerade. I am only borrowing the story and characters in a non-profit manner to play out in my imagination._

* * *

**The Moon as my Witness  
Lady Draculea  
Chapter 1  
**

* * *

Los Angeles really wasn't what she had though it would be. For one thing; it was dirty. Sure, the more popular tourist attraction sites were clean and shiny, but the rest of the streets, the parks, the buildings, were dirty. Garbage, mud, goop-that-she-wasn't-going-get-closer-to. It was just gross.

Luckily dad and Heather had found a place somewhere relatively clean, even it if was where the granola-crunchers seemed to congregate. Oh well. The palm trees were tall, the sand white, and the waters were reasonably clean, so she couldn't really complain, right?

The house was nice. Two stories, three bedrooms, a living room, office, kitchen, everything houses generally were equipped with. The smallest backyard she had even seen, though. Melanie was probably back there sunbathing when she was supposed to be helping her unpack!

Diana scowled, dad and Heather had left an hour ago to look around the city and check out the building where Heather's new job was located. It was at some well-to-do tower downtown and dad and Heather were ecstatic about it. It made her slightly ill over how often they shared their enthusiasm. Thankfully the walls were thicker here than back home.

Besides the thicker walls, which was the only good thing about the whole move if Diana had anything to say about it, the whole process of traveling across the country to 'start over' here was more hassle then it was worth. The summer before, Heather and Melanie had flown to LA for a couple of days, apparently falling in love with the city, and not to mention the shopping malls, in the process. It didn't take much to convince dad about the 'benefits' of living in the City of Angels, specifically, Heather reminded him of the great job she had been offered here often enough, and the fact that dad would find work easily himself, being a teacher and all.

Of course, they never took into account it being a pain in the rear-end for her to switch colleges, find a new part-time job, and memorize the bus schedule, not to mention try not get lost, which she was bound to do eventually anyways.

So now here they were, in a city that was too big, too noisy, too hot and too dirty. But the thing that pissed her off the most at the moment was the fact that she was the only one in the friggin' house unpacking! There were boxes everywhere, furniture scattered and she was hot, sticky, and felt like smashing the next person that spoke to her.

"Diana!"

Oh how fate hated her.

"Diana!" Melanie called from the back patio again, this time louder and much more annoyed.

"What?" She snapped, sliding the patio door open and popping her head outside.

Melanie looked over her sunglasses, "get me some lemonade, would you?"

Diana scowled, "I'm not your servant. Besides, the glasses are still packed."

"You still haven't unpacked those? What have you been doing in there, sleeping?"

"You mean like what you've been doing out here?" She squinted into the distance; she could see the tall buildings of downtown LA from where she was standing. "If you want something to drink, get up and make it yourself. Better yet, help me unpack like you're supposed to."

Melanie smirked, clearly enjoying invoking he step-sister's temper, "but that is what you are for, sister dear."

Diana growled, "bitch."

The redhead just laughed as she returned to her tanning her already golden coloured skin.

Frustrated, Diana stomped into the house, giving the patio door a satisfying slam. Breathing deeply, she counted to ten in her head, forcing herself to calm down. She hated it when she let Melanie get under her skin, something which she seemed to do more often than not.

Once back to a relatively neutral mood, she returned to the living room, and began digging random things from out of boxes and running around to place them in their designated rooms. It was gruelling work, especially since she was working by herself.

Sighing, she looked at the mess sitting scattered on the floor, then at her watch. Three hours until dinner. The kitchen was a mess and she really doubted that Heather was considerate enough to bring anything back home for them. No doubt she would be dragging dad to one of those up-to-do restaurants.

Diana picked up a box, recognising it as one of her own. She might as well make it easier on herself and just lug the lighter boxes to their designated areas. It would have been a simple task, except both Heather and Melanie had specifically said that their stuff was not to be touched for some stupid reason like Diana didn't know how to handle delicate materials, being the uncultured heathen that she was. Well, that wasn't exactly how they had put it, but it was close enough.

The boxes seemed to be multiplying, especially the ones with the pink, scrolling writing on them. Diana was even beginning to think that Heather and Melanie's boxes were slightly scented. "Gah! I'm going for a walk!"

Even though no one was there to see her nod her head, nor the fact that she was talking to herself (not that she wanted that to happen - no need to give the terrible two anymore more incentive to make her life a living hell), she did so anyways. It was an old habit that she couldn't seem to get rid of.

Decided, she grabbed her shiny new set of house keys and left, the door closing soundlessly behind her. The street was more or less deserted; no doubt everyone was indoors, enjoying the comforts of air-conditioning instead of frying in the late afternoon sun. The AC in the house hadn't been activated yet, both dad and Heather were not mechanically inclined, and she hadn't bothered to do so herself, preferring to keep Melanie suffering until she got off her tanned, lazy ass and did it herself.

Not familiar with the area yet at all, Diana chose a direction at random and began walking. It didn't take her long to regret her decision. It was HOT, way hotter than the cooler temperature of Michigan. "Gah… how do people live in this weather… right, they don't. They are all chilling with their air-conditioners on full blast. Lucky bums."

Diana was seriously beginning to doubt her sanity now that she was actually talking to herself. She blamed it on the heat… and Melanie. She made it a habit to blame all of her misfortunes on her step-sister. Sure it was unfair on her part, but she doubted that the red-haired part-time voice of Brandy's Shoe Warehouse included 'fair' in her vocabulary.

Some time later brought her facing a dead-end. The street went no further, well, unless she planned on jumping the fence and crawling through thick underbrush. As tempting as the cool shade of the wilderness looked, she wasn't dressed for it, nor did she fancy getting dirty when she didn't even know where the box with all her clothes were.

A glance at her watch told her that barely an hour had passed. That meant that it would probably take her another hour to get back home, get cleaned up and start up the AC. There was no way in hell that she was going to boil in the house any longer just to piss Melanie off. As fun and humorous as that was, Diana would rather be cool and comfortable with just a little wounded pride, rather then hot and irritable just to make sure that her step-sister was as well.

She didn't notice it so much while walking, but the street ran down a hill. Now, as she was walking back it was more obvious to her while she dragged herself up the hill, panting with every step. Lovely, just bloody lovely. Taking a walk really wasn't one of her more brilliant ideas, not that she was having very many of those lately anyways.

The whole trip had thrown her off balance. First the suggestion of the move, of course she was against that and had more than once embarrassed herself by reducing her behaviour to one reminiscent of a seven year old. Heather had suggested if she didn't like it, then she could very well stay. She was old enough, after all, to get her own place. Completely ridiculous and Heather knew it. She could not afford her own place, roommate or no, on a salary that was barely over minimum wage _and _attend college at the same time. So she had no choice but to tag along.

Next was the fact that she had to scramble to get everything in order. Luckily it was August, classes had ended for the summer, but it was too late to try and gain admission at a college here. Not to mention the fact that course fees were petty much ludicrous in LA. Quitting her job back in Michigan wasn't such a big loss, but she now had to find another if she wanted some spending money and to start saving up for school. Not to mention the fact that Heather would blow a gasket if she didn't find something to keep Diana out of the house and not scratch her precious floors.

Actually, traveling here had to be the worst. Dad and Heather had flown out once or twice to find a house, something that seemed like a waste of money to Diana and made her wince every time she thought about the price of plane tickets. Luckily, it didn't take them long to find their perfect home, and for Heather to accept that job at the LaCroix Foundation.

Once everything was paid for, packed and ready, the moving trucks set out for California a full day before they did. Last minutes scrambles and tears (mostly on her part, though dad did partake in a sniffle or two) were made and they were off. Diana would be the first to admit that riding stuffed in Heather's gas-guzzling SUV for nearly a week with her family was pure torture. Melanie complained for most of the way, dad replayed his AC/DC CDs over and over, Heather slept, thank god, and herself, well, she must have read her favourite novel back to cover at least four times. The rest of her books were packed away in some box, and she had misplaced her ipod, though she was pretty sure that it was stuffed into her favourite jeans pocket. She'd have to check before washing anything.

While she had thought that the days were bad, the nights had been worse. To save money they only rented one hotel room, which meant she and Melanie had to share a bed.

Never again.

Melanie kicked and alternated from either hogging the blankets to pushing them off the bed. That paired with the fact that Diana had never been able to sleep in hotels, meant some very long nights. Luckily she had managed to snag a few hours sleep in the car, else she'd be passed out in her unpacked room at the moment.

They had arrived sometime after lunch. The trucks had arrived not too long after that. Everything was unloaded, the trucks lefts, boxes were sorted, and then Heather had the brilliant idea of checking out her new work, so she and dad left to do that. But her bad luck didn't end there! Nope! She just _had _to take a walk in this sweltering heat not realising until too late that the walk back would _up hill._ Ugh.

Diana flicked her sweat soaked bangs from her eyes and muttered under her breath, "god, kill me now."

* * *

A little over an hour later, Diana finally made it back to the house. Her t-shirt was plastered to her skin and she was sure that one could smell her from miles away, but she was home.

Passing by Heather's SUV as she dragged herself to the front door, Diana was happy to note that all the windows were closed, hopefully because Melanie had finally gotten around to turning on the AC.

Unlocking the door, and closing it behind her, she slipped into the house, immediately grateful for the rush of cool air that greeted her. Sighing, she kicked off her shoes and stepped into the living room.

"Where have you been?" Heather is standing in front of the entrance to the kitchen, and as always, was completely immaculate.

Diana sighed, knowing where this was going. No doubt Melanie had concocted some sob story about her leaving poor, helpless Melanie alone with all the boxes and mess. "I went for a walk, is that a crime?"

Heather scowled, clearly displeased. "And you left Mel here by _herself _to deal with these boxes?"

"Listen," that came out a bit more sharply then she intended it. She did not want to start an argument. All she wanted a shower and something to eat. "I spent at least four hours slaving away in here, while 'Mel' sat out back tanning. I went for a walk, to look around the neighbourhood. I don't have to ask permission to do that."

Thin lines appeared around Heather's mouth as her frown deepened, showing that she was as old as the forty-five years she tried to hide. "Melanie tells a different story."

Diana snorted, "of course she does."

Heather's eyes narrowed, displeased over the fact that her step-daughter was blatantly contradicting her, but also saying that her Mel was a liar. "Don't you dare take that tone with me. You may be an adult, but you are living under my roof, or have you forgotten that already?"

Slightly taken back, Diana was silent. Heather had never threatened her before, sure she had yelled and insulted her, but threaten to kick her out if she didn't play by her rules? Diana shook her head, preferring not to say anything and potentially land herself in hot water.

Pursing her lips, Heather nodded and said, "I thought so. Now, find all of your things and take them to your room. I don't want them cluttering up the floor."

"Whatever you say."

"Diana, I am warning you…"

She turned around, spotting one of her boxes and bending to pick it up. "Don't worry, I know when to quit."

When Heather failed to respond, Diana turned to see the older woman walk back into the kitchen. Things had always been tense between her and Heather Toris, now Jacobson. Heather was everything that Diana hated. She carried this air around her as if everyone below her was not worth the time of day. She demanded a certain quality and held such high expectancies from everything. Nothing was ever good enough, and when it was, she only demanded the best of the best. It drove Diana up the wall.

As much as she wanted that to be the only reason why she disliked Heather so much, it wasn't. Diana felt that Heather had butted in so quickly after mom had left. Only five months after mom had left with her car, license, and new boyfriend, Heather Toris walked into dad's life and proceeded to knock everything askew. Diana didn't know what about dad attracted Heather. Women like Heather just didn't fall for middle aged English teachers, especially ones with a penchant for ghost documentaries and supernatural sightings. Dad claimed that it was love a first sight, strange, since that was what he said when he first met mom.

Diana couldn't say that Heather was replacing mom, because she wasn't. Heather was the most un-mom like mom she had ever had the misfortune of meeting. Heather let her cleavage hang out, she swore, talked about things to Melanie that Diana could never imagine talking to her own mother about. Heather was one of those types who worshipped youth and did everything in her power to stay youthful. She was vain as hell and it irritated Diana beyond measure. If a single hair was out of place, she would redo it completely. Diana hated being late for anything and Heather was the epitome of late.

Halfway up the stairs, Diana shifted the box in her arms. Ever since Heather and Melanie's arrival, her life had turned upside-down, flip-flopped and regurgitated itself several times. Things were never simple now, nor did she think that they would ever be again. Diana only hoped that she would somehow be able to survive all these changes that Heather was bringing. She had a feeling that she would have to.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: See chapter 1. _

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** The Moon as my Witness  
Lady Draculea  
Chapter 2**

* * *

The next day proved to be just as bright as the day previous. Waking up with a late start, Diana didn't really have enough willpower to move herself from her warm cocoon of blankets. It had taken her longer than she had wanted to fall asleep, this was a new and foreign house after-all, but soon enough the past week's exhaustion had caught up with her and had knocked her out cold.

Sighing, Diana rolled onto her back, flinging an arm across her eyes as she was momentarily blinded by the glare of sunlight that shown through her window. _Curtains are definitely the first thing up, _she thought as a yawn ripped through her thoughts, scattering her wonderings on to where her curtains were exactly and bringing tears to her eyes.

Rubbing the stray salt-water away, Diana let her thoughts drift away as she rolled from her mattress, letting out a soft-oomph when she hit the floor. Her bed frame was in pieces, leaning against the wall, waiting to be put back together. Diana had forgone doing so the day before, too tired to do much more than collapse upon the blankets piled on her mattress.

Sitting up, Diana stretched before untangling herself from her comforter and shrugging into clean jeans and a shirt. After pulling on her second sock, she looked around her room, wondering where she should start.

The dresser was currently pressed against the wall under the window, but the drawers were missing – assumingly still somewhere downstairs. She had managed to locate all of her boxes and stack them together, as well as drag up her small area rug.

Diana wanted to get everything organised since everything was currently a pig-sty. The sooner she did that the sooner she could have the excuse that she was looking for a job.

Decided and dressed, Diana slipped through the door and made her way to the kitchen. Unpacking had made some progress compared to yesterday. Things were generally where they were supposed to be, save for the pile of randoms sitting in the living room.

"Good morning, sunshine." Dad smiled at his daughter as she stumbled into the kitchen, a half eaten pop tart on the plate in front of him. "Though, it's closer to noon. Sleep well?"

Pulling her own blueberry pop tart from the box and dropping it into the toaster, she answered, "not really."

"You'll get used to it."

"Meh."

A glass in hand and full of milk, Diana took a sip and wondered why it was so quiet. "Where are Heather and Melanie?"

"Hm?" Diana's father blinked, immersed in his book. "Oh, they went looking for paint colours. They should be back soon, but who knows with those two."

Diana sighed, "true."

Jumping when the toaster dinged in completion, Diana quickly grabbed the hot breakfast food, dropping it onto her plate, then dropping herself onto the breakfast stool next to her father. "What's happening today?"

Her dad shrugged, his eyes never leaving the thick novel in front of him. "Unpacking, shopping, painting, unpack – oh! We're going to dinner with Heather's boss tonight."

Diana paused half-chew, "what?"

"Yep, Heather is going to be an important asset to LaCroix Foundation." He beamed in pride for his wife, "the whole family was invited when we took a look around yesterday."

A social function. Great. "Is it a fancy dinner?"

This made her father grimace, he hated formal dinners just as much as she did, if not more so. "Well, yeah. Sebastian LaCroix is a formal sort of guy, you know, one of the executive types."

Groaning, Diana banged her head onto the table. "Great."

Her dad smiled and patted her on the head. "It won't be so bad, you'll see."

"You're not the one who has to worry about making a fool out of yourself. You at least know "proper dinner etiquette."

"So do you, your grandmother did a fine job of teaching you."

Diana stared at her father incredulously, "grandma gave up on teaching me table manners when I was twelve. She said I was hopeless!"

Her father chuckled, "you worry too much."

She shot back, "you don't worry enough."

"Which is why you'll be grey by the time you're thirty."

"I don't worry on purpose."

"You're young, you have to yet to find out that you can't change everything, and that-"

"-you should take things as they come." She finished for him. "I know, you've only been telling me since forever."

He slung an arm around her shoulders, pulling in for a brief hug. "I know kiddo. I'm just wondering when it will sink in."

Diana smiled into her father's sweater, "eventually dad, eventually."

They ate the rest of their meal in silence, dad once again nose-deep in his novel and Diana engrossed in her thoughts. After downing the rest of her milk, she said, "So, you're wearing a suit."

He peered at her from the corner of his eye, a slight grimace stretched across his face. "You have to wear a dress."

"I like dresses."

"… Dang, there goes that idea."

Diana just laughed.

* * *

While Diana did like dresses, the only relatively formal one that she owned was her prom dress. She had chosen it then for its comfort and sleek-fashion and was immensely grateful now more than ever that she hadn't chosen one of those crazy-poufy monstrosities that a good portion of her female classmates had chosen. 

"Diana, stop fidgeting, Mr. LaCroix will be here any second," Heather snapped, scowling as she watched her step-daughter drop the napkin that she had been twisting into her lap.

"Now, now, dear. She's just nervous." Dad said, patting Heather's hand with his own. "This is an important night, after all."

Heather sniffed and turned to her husband, "I know, I'm sorry. I just want everything to be perfect – oh! Here he comes!"

As Sebastian LaCroix advanced Heather rose to greet him, her patented perfect smile on her lips. "Mr. LaCroix."

Her new boss nodded in return, "Mrs. Jacobson. I hope I'm not late…?"

"Oh no, we just arrived as few minutes ago. Please take a seat." She motioned to the empty chair beside her.

As the founder of LaCroix Foundation took his seat, Diana took the opportunity to study her step-mother's boss. He was pale, almost unnaturally so in the dim lighting of the fancy restaurant. Sandy brown hair lay gelled in place while sharp grey eyes gave him an authoritative feel. While he was handsome, Diana thought he looked far too young to be the one in charge of such a prosperous company. Maybe he had inherited it?

Suddenly those grey eyes were on her as she finally realised that Heather had been speaking. "…And this is my step-daughter, Diana."

Diana's breath caught in her throat and she felt her cheeks heat from being caught staring, "Um, hi."

A corner of LaCroix's lips quirked into a smile and he nodded to her in greeting, "A pleasure."

Diana didn't breathe until he turned his attention to his newest employee, relieved that she no longer had those piercing eyes on her.

Melanie cleared her throat, catching Diana's attention. Her step-sister smiled knowingly, her reaction not lost on her. Glaring, Diana turned away and began focusing on the conversation going on between Heather and Mr. LaCroix.

The meal passed by in a blur, at least that is what it felt like to Diana. Dinner was delicious; she had even indulged in a slice of cheesecake, pointedly ignoring Melanie's ribs of where exactly she stored all her food.

Every once in a while she would feel Mr. LaCroix's gaze on her, often seeming to be puzzled by her, but Diana couldn't imagine why. She had managed to behave well enough that she knew her grandma would be proud of her, well, save for that brief moment when she almost spilled her water, but that could be overlooked.

By the time dinner was coming to a close, Diana felt she could fall asleep standing up. She didn't think that she had ever spent so much in a restaurant in her life. She had quickly grown bored of the talk of business and later political whatsits that dad, Heather, Mr. LaCroix and even Melanie had been discussing. Instead, she spent most of the time discreetly watching the business executive.

He was intelligent, and quite sharp, almost to a point that it was unnerving. He didn't eat much, preferring to nurse a glass of red wine. He was attentive, so much that Diana was positive that he knew exactly whenever she regarded him, if the small smile her would acquire after watching him was any indication. Diana had never met anyone like him before, and she didn't know what to make of it.

It was a little before midnight when they prepared to leave. Heather announced how excited she was to start on Monday, and dad beamed in pride while practically inhaling the after dinner mint. Melanie was silent, though that wasn't usual in itself since she looked just as tired as Diana felt. The older girl had been painting for most of the day, as well as moving around furniture. Diana hadn't expected her to do any of the work around the house, but she had surprised her.

Suddenly, Mr. LaCroix's grey eyes were on her and he was speaking. "I hear that you are looking for a job?"

Diana blinked. They had been talking about her? Why hadn't she noticed? "Yes, I am."

"There is always something that needs to be done at the tower," he said, either ignoring or unaware of Heather's look of outrage. Diana guessed the former. "If you ask for a Mrs. Mina Paul, she would gladly give you various tasks that need to be done."

Running around an office building wasn't exactly what she had in mind for a job, but it beat making hamburgers at a fast-food restaurant, "That would be great. Thank you."

He smiled, pleased, "I will let her know you will be stopping by." He then addressed Heather and Diana's father, inclining his head. "Good evening."

Everyone left soon after, piling into Heather's SUV. Heather's face was still tight in anger, her lips pinched into a thin line and her cheeks painted fiercely with colour. She didn't look happy at all.

Dad, of course was oblivious, "Isn't it great, kiddo? It was very kind of Mr. LaCroix to give you a job, not many people in his position would do that."

Diana smiled weakly, "yeah, it's great."

Heather jabbed the radio to life, drowning out what Dad was going to say. Giving up, he smiled sympathetically to his wife before singing along to the music.

Shaking her head in amusement, Diana closed her eyes. Dad was right, it was very nice of Mr. LaCroix to have offered her a job, but that was what seemed to strange to her. Why would he offer in the first place? Heather, though she thought otherwise, was just one of Mr. LaCroix's employees, not particularly vital to the company's success, but far up enough to be invited to dinner by the head honcho. It didn't make a whole lot of sense to Diana, and the only (sane) reason she could come up with is that he actually was just being kind.

The ride home was quiet, well, save for Dad's singing. He really wasn't all that half-bad, but of course no one would tell him that unless they wanted to be dragged out to karaoke. Once upon a time Diana would have been glad to join her father in singing along to the radio, but once her parents had been divorced she couldn't find it in herself to join him. It wasn't as if she didn't sing along anymore, she just wasn't comfortable singing in front of Melanie and Heather, too self-conscious to even try. Mom would only smile when she and dad belted out obnoxiously to their favourite tunes, even joining in every once in a while, but Melanie and Heather didn't even bother. Diana had seen how Melanie sneered at dad for it at first, but soon seemed to just become amused by his antics. Heather used it to her advantage, knowing if she turned on the radio dad would stay focused on the music and little else.

Twenty minutes later found them pulled into the garage and piling out of the vehicle. Heather immediately stomped into the house, dad close on her heels, trying to coax her out of her anger and convince her that Mr. LaCroix was just doing them a favour.

Diana ignored them as she slid from the leather seat, eager to get out of the torturous devices on her feet also known as heels. She could feel the blisters forming already. Why oh why didn't she have the foresight to wear ballet flats instead?

Closing the car door, Melanie was suddenly beside her, a small smile on her lips. "Someone seemed awfully interested in Mr. LaCroix tonight."

Stiffening, Diana tried to ignore the heat filling her cheeks. "I don't know what you mean."

Melanie snorted, "Please, you could barely keep your eyes off of him. In fact," her face took on a crafty look, "he had his eyes on you almost as often."

That stopped Diana. She knew that he had watched her a few times, but surely he had done the same for everyone else. Confused, she turned to her step-sister and said, "What are you talking about?"

She almost looked surprised, "you mean you didn't notice, after all the time you spent staring at him?"

"I wasn't staring," she huffed.

"Whatever,' Melanie said, waving her hand. " He kept looking at you for some reason, he seemed somewhat… confused, I suppose. It made mother really angry."

"Is that what's she's angry about? I thought it was because he said I could work at the tower doing menial labour."

"Well, that too." She sighed, picked a piece of imaginary lint off her dress. "Mother wanted this to be her night, yet you stole the spotlight away from her."

"I didn't do it on purpose!"

Melanie frowned, suddenly irritated. "You don't think I know that? Here mom was, excited to start a new _important_ job at LaCroix Foundation, and her boss seems only to have eyes for you. I'm not surprised that she's angry, I would be too."

Crossing her arms, Diana shook her head. It wasn't her fault that Mr. LaCroix kept looking at her, and it certainly not her fault he offered to let her work at the tower either. "What did you expect me to do? I barely said five words to him the whole night."

"Exactly," she exclaimed, her hands on her hips. "You said nothing to whole night, but he offers you a job! How did he even know that you were looking for one?"

"What?" Diana gaped, "I had thought you had been talking about it at dinner?"

Incredulous, Melanie looked at Diana in exasperation. "Did you not listen to _anything _that was talked about?"

Blushing, Diana looked away. "A little."

Snorting, Melanie pushed passed her step-sister and smirked over her shoulder before turning from view. "You really were captivated by him."

"Oh shut up!"

Melanie's laughter trailed after her.

Glowering, Diana smouldered in her frustration until she could no longer her Melanie's obnoxious voice. It was completely ridiculous. Someone must have had mentioned her current unemployment during diner, what else could it have been? Did he just assume and happen to be correct?

Shifting, Diana's feet quickly reminded her of the pain that was being inflicted upon them and effectively drove away her thoughts. It was late, her feet were killing her, her hair was sticky from excess amounts of hairspray and product, and her head was threatening to crack open from the size of the headache that was beginning to make itself known. What she would love more than anything at the moment was a bath.

While Melanie and she needed to share a bathroom, her step-sister was relatively neat, so it wasn't a huge problem. Luckily enough, it was their shared bathroom that Melanie set her sights to first. Freshly painted pretty blue, white towels dotted the room, making it extra cheerful and sunny during the day. At night, it was clean and relaxing. It was easy to shrug off her dress and light a few candles before sinking into the delightful warmth of the bathwater, slightly scented with tangerine bubbles.

With a sigh, Diana reflected over the diner. Maybe Melanie was right, maybe she was captivated by Sebastian LaCroix. There was just something about him that drew her like a moth to a flame. Just thinking about it made the base of her stomach tighten in knots. It was funny, he had barely said two words to her, but she hung off everyone. It was true she hadn't paid any attention to the conversation going on between her family and the business man, but she had listened to everything that he had said. Maybe she hadn't fully understood what he was saying, but just the sound of his voice lured her somewhere she had never been before. He completely mesmerized her and it scared her.

What made those knots in her stomach burst into butterflies was that she had agreed to work at the tower, probably to do things like put away files and fetch coffee for overworked office workers. It wasn't something she would have preferred to do, as she knew that Heather would try to make work hell just for being there, and who knew what else would happen, but it was something. It was something that she could do until she found something more stable and rewarding. But that wasn't what made her nervous. It was the possibility of seeing Mr. LaCroix again. What would he say, what would she say? Would he just ignore her since his good deed quota had been fulfilled? Or was he genuinely interested in her like Melanie said?

Her headache throbbed in annoyance to her thoughts, and Diana forced herself to stop thinking. She could spend all night thinking about what could happen and worry herself sick over it. Dad was right, she had to stop worrying about these little things before they happened. She would worry and deal with them when the happened. There was no need to worry about the future when she wasn't even sure what she should be worrying about.

Decided, Diana relaxed into the water and told herself that she would be ready to face the day when it came to it, and since that day hadn't come yet, her worries could bugger off.


	3. Chapter 3

Haha, so what's my excuse? Uh, I don't have one? This chapter has been slowly worked on for the past... however long is has been since I last updated. To be honest, I've been writing snippets of future chapters as this beginning bit is kinda boring. There is still a handful of chapters to go before we get to "the good bits". I'll try my best to make good, though! Can't have anyone falling asleep.

Good news, though. I completed Bloodlines! So, more material for me to work my magic on.

Anyways, enough of this, on to the chapter. It's rather unclimatic or interesting, but like I said, the good bits have yet to occur. To be honest I started this story with some mindless fluff that I keep adding to (a growing snippet that won't be happening for a long while yet) and ended up creating a plot around that. I don't supposed it's rather original, but I shall do my best to keep things interesting.

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

**

* * *

The Moon as my Witness  
Lady Draculea  
Chapter 3

* * *

**LaCroix Foundation was really intimidating, Diana decided. Tall, imposing doors flanked by even taller statues really struck fear into anyone who was not prepared enter the building. It certainly intimidated her. Diana hadn't thought that the building would be so tall.

_It could be worse, _Diana thought, _it could be the building across the street_. Now that was a frightening building. Surrounded by a wrought iron fence, gargoyles sat protectively around the border, leaning over solid stone posts. They were so life-like, looking like they were ready to jump into action whisking away anyone who even looked at them the wrong way.

With a steadying breath, Diana squared her shoulders. She could do this. It was just a really tall building; a really tall building with a fascinating man; a fascinating man who was quite possibly at the top of this concrete giant. Resolved, Diana placed a firm grip on a door handle and pulled.

Almost immediately, a cool wave of artificial air swept past Dianna and sent goose bumps across her bare arms. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around herself in hope to ward off the chill. It was always too hot outdoors and too cold in, forcing her to either sweat in a warmer shirt, carry around a sweater, or just tough it out and freeze.

Up ahead a brightly lit sign in scrolling letters read "LaCroix", lending her no doubt that she was in the right building. Beneath the sign sat a smiling woman behind a slightly curved reception desk. Stepping closer, Diana noticed that the woman was wrapped in a thick sweater. Good idea.

"Good afternoon." The woman smiled, looking almost relieved to find something to do. Odd, Diana thought. Aren't Mondays usually hectic?

"Hello," Diana smiled weakly back, "I was told to ask for Mrs. Mina Paul."

"Alright," the receptionist said as she riffled through a pile of papers. "Your name?"

"Diana Jacobson."

"Jacobson… Aha! Here we are." The woman waved a slightly crumpled piece of paper, having pulled it from the bottom. "Mrs. Paul will be expecting you. If you take a left through there," she pointed to a pair of metal detectors off to the side, "then take another left to reach a couple of steps. An elevator will be waiting open for you. Mrs. Paul is on the seventeenth floor, her office the first door on the right."

"Seventeenth floor, first door on the right, got it." Diana nodded to herself as she mentally stored the information away. "Thank you."

"You're welcome! Have a nice day."

Echoing the statement, Diana followed the instructions to the elevators. Just as the receptionist had said, one was waiting open to her. As she approached the lift, she finally spotted some people. It had been unnerving that the building seemed to empty, but now she could see that they were just hiding behind doors. A group of three exited an elevator, deep in discussion while a man almost overwhelmed with a stack of paper in his arms scurried down the hall to a woman who was holding a door open for him.

Somewhat relived, Diana entered the elevator, finding the correct button in the ocean of numbers after a search that took longer then it should have taken. Thankfully, no one had entered behind her to witness her embarrassment.

The butterflies returned as the elevator ascended, making her slightly nauseas and lightheaded. Her heart felt like it was going to pop out of her chest and she wondered why she hadn't thrown up yet. She felt that she had gotten over her head. What had made her think this was a good idea again? Right, Sebastian LaCroix, her stepmother's boss had offered her a job, though menial labour, she was sure, as she didn't have the knowledge or experience to do anything important. While she may come to regret this later, it was the only way she could be closer to the enigma that was Sebastian LaCroix, even if it was in her head.

Finally, yet at the same time all too soon, a ding to signify the arrival was heard and the doors opened with a hushed swoosh. Stepping into the hall, Diana quickly spotted the correct door, Mrs. Paul's name printed on a neat plaque.

Her feet felt like lead as Diana stared at the door knob, her hands attached to her side and reluctant to part from where they clutched desperately to her pants.

"Can I help you?"

Jumping, Diana spun on her heel, her hand over her heart, its beat loud in her ears. In front of her stood a tall woman, taller than Diana's own average height by at least six inches. Dressed in a smart blue suit, the woman's neat, black bob and tight lips made Diana think that this woman was more likely to set her on fire than help her.

Finally finding her voice, Diana hoped she didn't look (or sound) as nervous as she felt. "Uh, I'm looking for Mrs. Paul."

A perfectly arched brow rose as the woman's features softened fractionally. "You are Diana Jacobson, I presume."

Diana nodded slightly, "Yes, that would be me."

Sliding past Diana, the woman opened the office door and held the door open for the puzzled girl. "Mr. LaCroix told me to expect you. I'm Mrs. Paul, but please call me Mina. I get enough formality from my boss."

Relieved by Mina's words, Diana's nervousness melted away as she was welcomed into the office. By the time she was seated and offered a mint, Diana felt calm and even a little excited. There really wasn't any reason to worry, everything would turn out fine.

* * *

Even though Diana was sure that no one had entered the small windowless room that she had been ushered into after her information had been taken down, she was sure the boxes of unorganised files surrounding her were growing. Multiplying. The cardboard squares, inanimate objects, were having box-sex behind her back, producing paper-spawn at an alarming rate. She was sure of it. What other reason could there be? Other than, of course, that she was getting tired.

Glancing at her watch she wondered – again – why she had thought this would be a good idea. Her fingers were cramping, she had at least five paper cuts that she was aware of, she couldn't feel her bum anymore from sitting on the floor for so long and she'd give her right leg for some water.

A simple task at first glance, a challenge second, and suicide last. If Diana knew that there was _this_ much to do she would have gone with the other choice of coffee runner. At least then she wouldn't have to deal with reproducing boxes. Though, it wasn't so much the boxes as what was inside the boxes. Files. Lots and lots of files. And she was tasked with the job of organising them. Blue papers in one box, white ones in another, not to mention she had to separate them by date then by department. It was a simple task, but tiring. Especially since she had gathered a small mountain of unknowns.

"Stupid boxes, I'm on to you! Think you're so smart, popping out baby boxes when I'm not looking." An accusing finger pointed at a particularly smug box, "just you wait!"

"They are rebelling already?" An amused voice questioned. "They usually wait for at least a few days more."

Heart in her throat and stomach swimming around her knees, Diana could feel the sudden flush of heat in her cheeks and her ear burned. Afraid of whom she'd find behind her, but unable to stop herself, Diana slowly turned to meet the grey eyes of Sebastian LaCroix, a knowing smile titling his lips.

Diana swallowed nervously, realising how silly she must have sounded. "Yes, well... um." _Saysomethingsaysomethingsaysomething_ echoed in her head. _Save face, stupid girl! _"I might have threatened them a teeny bit, so it's not completely unwarranted."

"Indeed?" There was laughter in his voice.

Great, now he thinks you're insane. "They were asking for it." As if saying that solved everything.

"If you say so," the sandy haired man shrugged, the movement so fluid Diana wasn't sure if she had imagined it or not.

"Mina has informed me that you've been here since three?"

Diana sighed. "Yes."

Scanning the room, Sebastian's gaze lingered on the woman sprawled on the floor before moving to the clock hanging on the wall. "It's almost nine o'clock. Have you eaten?"

Food? Diana shook her head. She hadn't eaten anything since lunch and even then a peanut butter and jelly sandwich was hardly of any substance. The pack of gum she had gone through didn't count either except for leaving her with a distaste of mint. "Ah, no."

He smiled in a way that made Diana think of a cat with a bowl of cream. "Then you wouldn't mind accompanying me to dinner?"

Diana blinked as all thoughts left her head. Was he asking her out? The question echoed through her head as she scrambled for a way to answer without making a complete fool of herself, but then her stomach answered for her. Mortified, Diana's blush came back full force. Could this day get any more humiliating?

"I'll take that as a yes?" There was laughter in his voice, but Diana was relieved that he wasn't openly laughing at her.

She forced a smile, though it felt more like a grimace. "That would be great. I just need to tidy up..."

Sebastian shook his head. "Don't worry about that. I doubt anyone else will bother trying to sort this. It will be here when you return."

"Unfortunately," Diana sighed as she glared at the stack of boxes beside her. Standing with a wince, Diana effectively ignored the urge to rub her bum to help return the feeling to it. She was surprised that she even could even feel her legs, convinced for a while that everything waist-down had fallen asleep. Instead she tugged on her ponytail as she scanned the room for her bag. The last she had seen of it was when she had stuffed it in the corner, away from the boxes. Of course it wasn't where she left it. She mumbled under her breath.

"Something wrong?" Mr. LaCroix asked as he waited patiently.

"My bag has pulled a Houdini – aha!" Smiling, she snagged the well-used bag from out under a hungry box. "Okay, I'm good."

"Nothing else to disappear?" The question was asked with a straight face, but Diana was sure he was still laughing at her. Embarrassed at her behaviour, she shook her head in the negative, leaving the room when he motioned and holding the door open for her as she passed.

Greetings sounded as Diana followed Sebastian to the elevators, and not less than three people came scurrying forward to ask a question or attempt to strike up a conversation. Though a few were obviously sucking-up – it really wasn't hard to see that – Diana was amazed at how polite many of the employees were. A few even managed to smile for her, though there was a few forced ones, even though she probably looked as out of place as she felt. With her jeans and a semi-casual blouse, she looked better suited to working behind a counter than in an office building.

Suddenly they were outside, the trip through the building and down the elevator little more than a blur to Diana while her thoughts ran through her mind. The warm wind played with her hair and warmed her AC-cooled flesh; the effect sent a pleasant tingle down her spine. Not knowing where they were going, Diana silently followed Sebastian. They were in the heart of the city; buildings towered over them, the bright never ending lights created an artificial glow that effectively blocked the night sky.

As it was still early, at least to the Los Angeles nightlife, the streets were busy, leaving Diana to wonder if the streets were ever empty. Groups passed in laughing flocks as they flitted from place to place, while those alone rushed home after a long days work. The city was teaming with life and it was affecting Diana, filling her with energy and putting a smile on her face.

"What are your thoughts on Los Angeles?" Sebastian's voice inquired once they had crossed a brightly lit street. "Enjoyable, I hope." His eyes were on her, his gaze unnerving.

Diana could fill heat filling her cheeks and quickly pulled her eyes away from his penetrating stare to study the ground in front of her. "LA is... busy. I -" she paused, trying to find the words caught in her throat, "- don't know what to make of it." Risking a glance back towards the man beside her, she was relieved to see that was no longer watching her, but instead held a thoughtful expression on his face.

When her companion didn't offer any further words, Diana felt the silence between them tense. Frantically, she searched her mind from something else to say. "So, um," she winced as she stumbled over her words, "where are we going?"

"Hm?" Sebastian hummed, distracted. "Ah, a small café by the name The Cherry Dish. It's a popular destination for those who know of its existence. The cafeteria at the tower is often busy and not everyone is a fan of fast-food."

"Cafeteria?" There was a cafeteria located in LaCroix Tower? She had never heard of such a thing. Her high school didn't even have a cafeteria, but then again, her hometown was small and more of a college town than anything else.

Diana's surprise must have shown on her face for Sebastian chuckled. "It is a rather new acquisition. A good portion of the tower is still under construction. The tower appears large, but in reality, barely half is currently in use."

That made sense. Diana did remember hearing Heather talking about how LaCroix Foundation had recently moved office from somewhere in Europe to a larger base in Los Angeles. She didn't know how long it took to complete such a large project, but she assumed that it took years in the making.

Their pace slowed and Sebastian led Diana through a cherry red door and into a cozy dining area. Almost immediately the pleasant smells of the restaurant assaulted Diana, her stomach grumbling in anticipation. Looking around as she followed Sebastian to the counter she took in the decor, appreciating the pretty woodwork and pictures that hung on the walls.

The lady behind the counter was occupied with another customer, allowing Diana to glance at the menu. The selection was relatively small, but that wasn't surprising for a small restaurant. They seemed to specialize in beverages, exotic teas and coffees, but their food selection was just as interesting. She didn't recognize anything at first glance and feeling adventurous, she turned to her companion to ask if he recommended anything when the shrill ring of a cell phone broke the silence between them.

Shooting Diana an apologetic glance, Sebastian pulled the phone from his pocket, flipped it open and brought it to his ear. "Yes?"

_He sounds annoyed_, Diana mused as she focused her eyes back on the menu to give him some privacy. _I wonder why? _Well, it wasn't very hard to figure out. She sure as hell wouldn't want to be bothered during her dinner break.

"They're arriving _now_?" Sebastian all near hissed into the phone, startling Diana. Catching her eyes, Sebastian lowered his tone, the slight irritation on his face fading easily away. "Fine. Escort them to my office." Snapping the phone closed and slipping it back into his pocket, Sebastian sighed.

Hesitating, Diana wondered if she should say anything. It wasn't any of her business, but he did invite her out to eat with him as a friend, right? "Is everything okay?"

"Yes," the businessman replied as he checked the time. "I'm sorry to say that I must return to the tower, though. Associates of mine have arrived earlier than anticipated and I must meet with them."

"Oh." Though she had expected it, she still felt disappointment that Sebastian had to leave so soon. She wasn't really surprised, though. "Now?"

"Yes, now." Though a small apologetic smile pulled at his lips, there was a slight inflection in his voice that Diana couldn't really fit with his expression. "Enjoy you meal, Diana. Hopefully our next meeting won't be cut so short."

_Next meeting?_ The thought bounced around in her skull and Diana couldn't help but smile, even when Sebastian turned to leave. A one time event, she had thought. Why would Sebastian LaCroix have dinner with her? Then again, why would he offer her a job? There had to be something, but even no matter how much she hoped that Sebastian simply liked her, she couldn't help but think that there was something more to it. It couldn't be that simple, could it?


End file.
